The Platinum Tools Awards: American League 2009

We've been talking about the best defenders, the best hitters, Golden Gloves and Silver Sluggers, who's deserving, who's not...but what about the players who bring the best of both worlds?

I took the top players in OPS at each position who qualified for the batting title in each league. Then I took the top players in UZR/150 at each postion in each league. The players in the top ten were then awarded points (10 for first, 9 for second, and so on.) The player with the highgest total score is awarded the Platinum Tools Award for 2009. DH is not included and neither is catcher which has no UZR measure. Ready?

RF - J.D. Drew - It wasn't even close. Drew led AL right fielders in UZR and OPS. Nick Markakis was near the bottom of this list.

CF - Torii Hunter - Hunter had a bounceback year at the plate and flashed enough glove to just edge the trio of Adam Jones, Franklin Gutierrez and B.J. Upton.

LF - Carl Crawford - Crawford was the clear winner over the surprising Jason Bay.

3B - Evan Longoria - No surprise here. But Chone Figgins comes in second which I didn't expect. Melvin Mora brings up the rear.

SS - Derek Jeter - ...and by a big margin. Nobody else began to have the kind of well-rounded game at short that Jeter had. Cesar Izturis was tops in UZR/150 and last in OPS.

2B - Dustin Pedroia - Pedroia had a sneaky good year at the plate and a nice year with the glove. Brian Roberts brings up the rear of a very good crop of second basemen.

1B - Kendry Morales and Miguel Cabrera (tie) - Morales and Cabrera put up near-Teixeira-like numbers and edged him out on UZR.

Later on, the National League.

Base Hits: Jones Gets His Glove, Spring Training (Again) and Prospect News

Will the Orioles hold Spring Training in Sarasota in 2010 after all?

It makes little sense that they won't given the fact that there will be an Oriole Fan Fest in Sarasota this weekend and with so much invested in the move. This problem with notification would appear to be just a technicality.

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So after I offered all the rational reasons that Adam Jones would not win a Gold Glove yesterday, he won it anyway.

Congrats to him...if you base it on his last two seasons of work, he is very deserving. But just like I argued last season for Jones and Markakis to win the award and in 2007 for Markakis again, I would be a bit disingenuous if I pretended that Jones deserved the award for his work in 2009 alone. By the same standards I championed him last season, I must say that he is not one of the three best outfielders in the AL. The highest I could honestly put him is 4th.


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The Orioles made their first acquisition of the offseason when they grabbed P Armando Gabino off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. Who? (Give them this, the Orioles's scouts are paying attention. They seem to always know the guys they feel are worthy of a waiver claim...whether they actually work out out or not.)

Gabino is a 6'3", 215 lb righty who will be 26 next season. He has a 3.30 minor league ERA and while not a big strikeout guy, he does have a nice K/BB ratio (2.67 in AAA last year). He's not really a groundball pitcher but not really a flyball pitcher either. I take nothing from the 3.2 innings he pitched for the Twins last year.

All you people who moan about the bullpen...these are the kinds of moves that can turn a bullpen around.

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Baseball Prospectus has released their Top 11 (plus four more) Prospects for the Baltimore Orioles and non-subscribers can check out the list here.

Some excerpts from the write-ups:

3B Josh Bell - As much as Bell improved at the plate in 2009, he made even larger strides defensively. Once seen as a future first baseman, Bell has made significant improvement in his instincts and footwork at the hot corner, while his arm has always been a plus. In an age where many players focus solely on the batting cage, Bell's commitment to defense also speaks to his makeup...While Bell is a switch-hitter, he still struggles against left-handers, as hit he just .193 with one homer against them in 2009.

SP Jake Arrieta - Arrieta's secondary pitches are all works in progress, which leads to an overreliance on his fastball, a habit that had him getting punished at times in the International League.

SP Matt Hobgood - There are concerns about Hobgood's body, as those who saw him in the Appalachian League and instructional league say he was already significantly larger than his listed weight of 245 pounds. That factor, combined with the stress of a long year, saw his velocity dip into the 87-91 range during his pro debut. Conditioning will likely always be an issue with him.

1B Brandon Snyder - Snyder doesn't profile well at his position, as he lacks plus power. While his defense has improved at first base, he's still below average there. A steady diet of breaking balls exposed the holes in his offensive game at Triple-A, and he'll need to make adjustments to have any kind of major league career.

C Caleb Joseph - Joseph will get his first taste of the upper levels in 2010 by beginning the year at Double-A, with a chance to end it as one of Baltimore's best trade chips.

That stuff about Matt Hobgood going all Sidney Ponson on us at age 18 is a bit disconcerting. But there's a lot to like on this list.

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The Dan Uggla to Baltimore reports are interesting. A righthanded power bat that can move to first or DH if Josh Bell forces his way to Baltimore.

But I wouldn't give up a ton for a guy who is a career 114 OPS+...in the weaker National League and has little value in the field.

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In news that matters only to me, Baysox C Adam Donachie will return to the Oriole organization next season. Donachie is a good defensive catcher and rakes against lefties. Part of me still believes he will make a good backup catcher in Baltimore someday.

Why Adam Jones Is Not Actually Going to Win A Gold Glove This Year

I'm not one to address a lot of rumors on this site but when reputable sources start reporting them, I feel the need to at least throw some cold water in the general direction.

Rumor has it that Oriole CF Adam Jones will be awarded his first Gold Glove early this week. How do we know this? His brother congratulated him on his MySpace page for the award. Flimsy evidence that everybody seems to be running with. However, there is a ton of evidence to the contrary.

What follows is a look at how Gold Gloves are awarded and how Jones stands up to each set of criteria. This is not an analysis on whether Jones deserves the award or not. I think most avid baseball fans realize that the award does not always go to the most deserving player. (The fact that Derek Jeter owns more Gold Gloves than Cal Ripken, Jr. is a case in point.) I looked at AL outfield award winners from the last 20 years for comparison.

1. Gold Gloves are Awarded on Reputation

The winners are voted for by major league managers and coaches. Managers are not allowed to vote for their own players. This is one of the factors that contribute to players continuing to get a Gold Glove even as their skills in the field decline. If a player has won 4 straight awards, he is likely to be written in again by many voters simply because they "know he's a great fielder". Not necessarily the best but a great fielder.

Jones faces three incumbents in the AL: Torii Hunter, Ichiro Suzuki and Grady Sizemore. Hunter and Suzuki have each won for 8 straight seasons. Sizemore for 2. Was Jones' defense really so spectacular that he unseats one of these three? I don't think so.

But even if you dropped Sizemore (he was hurt for much of 2009), there are other reps to overcome. Would Jones be able to elbow aside Carl Crawford, an AL outfielder with a terrific and deserved defensive reputation? Or Franklin Gutierrez? Or BJ Upton? Or Curtis Granderson? All these guys have a longer track record and a perception that they are great defenders. And all are at least as good as Jones was in 2009.

To paraphrase The Fresh Prince, "Jones is only 23, he don't have a rep yet."

2. Gold Gloves are Influenced by Offense As Much As Defense

Sad but true, many Gold Gloves are given in part because a player's bat gets them some attention. First time award winners often have eye-popping stats at the plate.

Kenny Lofton hits .325 and steals 70 bases in '93. Jay Buhner hits 44 homers in '95. Shawn Green hits 42 homers in 1999. Darin Erstad hit's .355 in 2000. Some of these players were worthy Gold Glovers, some of them weren't. But their first wins all coincided with great offensive years.

Did Jones have a great offensive year? No. He made strides and was a good hitter but he wasn't an elite offensive force.

It works the opposite way too sometimes. But Ichiro hit .352 this season and Hunter had the best offensive season of his career. They are unlikely to be unseated as Gold Glovers. Sizemore

had a down year but his OPS was still better than Jones. Again, Sizemore looks to be the weak link at this point but Jones doesn't have the eye-popping stats that could unseat an entrenched winner.

3. The Rule of 120

No AL outfielder in the last 20 years has won his first Gold Glove while playing less than 120 games. It's rare that it has happened at all, at least in a non-strike year. Hunter won a Gold glove in '05 playing 98. Griffey won it in '95 playing in 72. But these were "rep" awards.

Jones only played in 119 games. I'm sure many managers and coaches didn't even see him this season during the stretches that he was injured. He simply didn't play enough to make a big impression.

4. If Voters Look at Fielding Stats at All, They Look at "Traditional" Stats

Voters tend to look at basic fielding stats like errors and fielding percentage, if they look at all. Jones' .986 fielding percentage is near the bottom of regular AL centerfielders. There are not many outfielders who can top 5 errors either...and Jones only played 118 games in the field.

Nothing from the basic stats (or the advanced stats for that matter) make Jones stand out. If you were looking at these basic stats, David DeJesus would have to be a strong candidate (and he may be one anyway).

Conclusion

So, Adam Jones is going to unseat incumbent Gold glove winners, overcome other veteran outfielders with good defensive reputations and win his first Gold Glove with a "meh" offensive season and a "meh" season with the glove, all the while playing less than 75% of the season on a small market losing team? Add to this the fact that to the "eye" and the advanced defensive metrics, Jones did not always look great in the field.

Is it impossible for Jones to win? No. Is he deserving? Probably not. Is he likely to win? Absolutely not. It just doesn't make sense, regardless of what a guy on MySpace claims.

Arizona Fall League Update: 11/9/2009

I watched the AFL Rising Stars Game on Saturday. The quick stats for the Oriole prospects:

1B Brandon Snyder: 1-4 with a walk
3B Josh Bell: no official at-bats but a walk and an RBI sac fly in 2 plate appearances
P Brandon Erbe and 1B/DH Brandon Waring did not play.

Beyond the numbers, Brandon Snyder's bat looked a bit slow against the hard throwers. He was late a lot. On the other hand, Snyder made a great play diving to his right in the first inning, flipping the ball to the pitcher at first for the out, robbing Mike Moustakas of a base hit. Snyder looked very good in the field all night.

Josh Bell demonstrated a pretty good eye and a lot of ink on the forearms. I can't think of another Oriole who has sported tattoos that were visible while they were in uniform.

Jason Castro: Big arm. The 22-year-old Astro catcher looked great behind the plate.
Yonder Alonso: Big power
Jemile Weeks: fast, fast FAST!
Dustin Ackley: Plays a great centerfield. Makes it look easy.

Oriole Prospects

Brandon Snyder continues to hit well psoting a .355/.453/.597 line for the Desert Dogs.

Josh Bell has cooled a bit but is still hitting .309/.397/.473. Snyder and Bell continue to be intriguing possibilities to fill the holes at the corner infield positions, maybe as early as next season.

CF Matt Angle continues to get on base. His .298/.370/.362 line is pretty impressive when you consider that he has stolen 6 bases and not been caught yet. There is a place in the bigs for a leadoff guy who gets on base at a .370 clip and steals bases. He is a guy to watch closely at Bowie next season.

Brandon Waring is hitting .290/.361/.613 in limited action.

P Brandon Erbe has pitched the best of the Oriole prospects albeit only over 3 starts and 9.0 innings pitched. A 1.11 WHIP, a 2.00 ERA and a 4.5 K/BB ratio so far.

Out of the pen, RP Eddie Gamboa pitched well before getting hurt, posting a 3.86 ERA. RP Josh Perrault sports a 2.70 ERA but has walked 4 while only striking out 3. Those numbers will need to improve is Perrault hopes to break camp with the Orioles out of Spring Training.

P Ryohei Tanaka has served as a swingman of sorts for the Desert Dogs and got knocked around during his last outing to rasie his ERA to 5.54. But before that, he had pitched fairly well and still boasts 10 Ks to only 3 BBs over 13.0 IP.

Other Prospects

Toronto hitting prospect is getting exposed in this hitter's league and is hitting a measly .167/.281/.250.

Oakland 2B Jemile Weeks is hitting .300 with 5 stolen bases and leads the Dogs with 3 triples.

CF Grant Desme continues to own Arizona hitting .354/.433/.754 (!) this fall.

At 13-9 and a 3.5 game lead on the rest of the AFL East (with 10 games to go), the Desert Dogs are virtual locks to play int he AFL Championship. The game will be on MLB Network Saturday, November 21st at 2:30 PM. There should be Orioles-a-plenty in action for that game.

Base Hits: The Offseason Begins, Sarasota Hits a Snag and the Strange Case of Vito Fabrizio.

The Oriole designated a few players for assignment this week and three opted for free agency. Farewell to Guillermo Rodriguez and Jeff Fiorentino. Rodriguez will continue his journeyman career elsewhere. I think Fiorentino would make a nice 4th outfielder in the National League. I don't think he's any worse than a lot of bench players in that league.

Rich Hill seems to be open to returning to the Orioles and the Orioles seem to be willing to give him another shot. As long as that shot starts in Norfolk, I would be fine with that.

Unfortunately, Alfredo Simon accepted his assignment to Norfolk.

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A potential snag in Sarasota? Last week, I mentioned that citizens who live near Ed Smith Stadium were concerned about pollution at the site of the complex. There has been more light shed on that situation but there is a concern that those questions may delay funding for the stadium renovation and pollution clean up. Could this jeopardize Baltimore's move to Sarasota? Stay tuned...

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Way back in September, I highlighted some top performances by player in the low minors of the Oriole farm system. I wondered who on Earth Bluefield pitcher Vito Fabrizio was and where he came from. Recently, a commenter provided some information. Kepp in mind, it's from an anonymous commenter and I cannot verify this information but I wanted to share it anyway.

ok this is the story on frabizio... he did not graduate high school in 08 he was a high level prospect as both a short stop and an outfielder the orioles found his spot and that was on the mound ... he is a low 90s guy with a big league curve ball and a plus plus change up he throws 4 pitches for a strike .. he was not able to be drafted because of high school.. he got 8th round money as a free agent with no high school diploma witch is unheard of .. he is legit . he knows how to pitch and the boy can do it well .

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Roch Kubatko was venting over at School of Rock on MASN.com and said one thing that struck me as odd...

Case in point: The MLB.com story (not produced by beat writer Spencer Fordin) with the headline "O's hope to re-sign two free agents"

I've read it twice and can't find where the Orioles are expressing their desire to bring back reliever Danys Baez. For whatever reason, he's lumped in with Mark Hendrickson, perhaps causing the confusion. But all we have is Baez's agent stating that his client has "very much enjoyed his time with the organization and would certainly entertain the prospect of returning."

Roch is right, the headline is misleading. However, by pointing out that the article was not produced by regular beat writer Spencer Fordin, he implies that the writer of the article jumps to incorrect conclusions. But that's not how it works. MLB.com writers submit the stories but do not write the actual headlines. The story itself is consistent and factual but the headline is misleading..which is not the writer's fault.

It is my understanding that this is how most newspapers work too...given Roch Kubatko's history at The Baltimore Sun, you would think he might have known that.

Just seemed an odd thing to call someone out on.

Or maybe he was just venting too hard.

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So, I went to do some research on the Hawaiian Winter Baseball league but could find nothing. That's because there is not one!

I completely missed this but according to this article from Baseball Prospectus last winter, the league has folded.

I guess after the Hawaiians saw Matt Wieters last winter, that normal prospects would just not do.

Oriole Trade Monitor: A Bit of Perspective

As you may know, I update the Oriole Trade Monitors throughout the season to show how certain trades are working out for Baltimore. I measure the values in terms of WAR (Wins Above Replacement) but I realize that is hard for most people to quantify in real life terms without a frame of reference.

So here's a frame of reference. The Glenn Davis trade of 1991, measured in WAR. Totals listed include all seasons played from the day the trade was made.

Glenn Davis: 0.1 WAR

Curt Schilling: 69.8 WAR
Pete Harnisch: 16.6 WAR
Steve Finley: 40.4 WAR

That's what a lopsided trade looks like. The Orioles gave up 126.8 WAR in talent and got just 0.1 in return. They gave up 1,268 times the value they got back!

On a happier note, the 1976 trade with the Yankees that netted Baltimore, among others, catcher Rick Dempsey. WAR is for years played with New York and Baltimore only.

Tippy Martinez: 6.0 WAR
Rudy May: 2.1 WAR
Scott McGregor: 17.5 WAR
Rick Dempsey: 20.1 WAR
Dave Pagan: -1.5 WAR

Doyle Alexander: 1.1 WAR
Jimmy Freeman: o.o WAR
Ellie Hendricks: 0.2 WAR
Ken Holtzman: -2.8 WAR
Grant Jackson: 1.6 WAR

The O's won this one 45.7 to 0.1. Yep, Rick Dempsey turned out to be the gem of that deal for Baltimore.

Hopefully, this exercise gives a bit of perspective to the Oriole Trade Monitors.

Historical WAR data taken from BaseballProjection.com. Trade data from Baseball-Reference.com.

Big Homer Index: Mora, Blair and Hammonds

It's the offseason so it's the return of the Big Homer Index! What is the Big Homer Index (BHI)? Look here.

Melvin Mora - 158 Oriole Career Home Runs

Now that we can look back lovingly on Melvin Mora's career, I figured it was time to put him through the BHI prism to see how he stacks up. The answer is...pretty well.

Mora hit nearly 25% of his homers with the O's down by 4 or more runs but 41% were Go Ahead homers and he had a couple walk-offs as well. While the "garbage homer" score is high, he had enough heroics to finish with a respectable middle-of-the-pack BHI.

BHI - 238


Paul Blair - 126 Oriole Career Home Runs

Known more for his glove during his Oriole career, Blair delivered his fair share of pop with the bat. Even though lead-off types tend to get penalized by my formula, Blair acquits himself well in terms of BHI. Even with zero walk-off homers, Blair boosted his score with 51 Go Ahead shots and a very low percentage of homers during "garbage time". He finishes on the good side of 250 which puts him well above average.

BHI - 255


Jefferey Hammonds - 51 Oriole Career Home Runs

Hammonds was a disappointment to Oriole fans on so many levels and as it turns out, he wasn't even clutch. A whopping 37% of his Oriole homers came during "garbage time". A lone walk-off blast against Oakland in 1994 is the only thig that keeps his BHI from being sub-zero. His profile is classic stat-padder.

BHI - 109


BHI Leaders - Oriole Career

Brooks Robinson - 495
Eddie Murray - 469
Rafael Palmiero - 469
Mickey Tettleton - 444
Tony Batista - 406
John Lowenstein - 393
Boog Powell - 341
Mike Devereaux - 333
Jim Gentile - 274
Larry Sheets - 266
Paul Blair - 255
Albert Belle - 240
Chris Hoiles - 240
Melvin Mora - 238
Roberto Alomar - 230
Doug Decinces - 225
Brian Roberts - 224
Miguel Tejada - 218
Cal Ripken - 197
Brady Anderson - 138
Rick Dempsey - 136
Kevin Millar - 117
Jeffrey Hammonds - 109
Jay Gibbons - 42
Jeff Conine - 5
B. J. Surhoff - -64

Base Hits: Toxic Fields, Undeserved Awards and Rick Dempsey's Christmas Album

Oriole players may want to request hazardous duty pay when they report to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, their new Spring Training complex:

At one time the neighborhood ballpark was a landfill so city commissioners requested a thorough environmental check before teaming up with the Orioles.

Recently, the group obtained a 117-page report, commissioned by the city, which shows a plume of vinyl chloride contamination, along with a series of heavy metals and organic compounds that far exceed safe EPA levels.

Wow.

In a related story, the Orioles have unveiled new black and orange DEVO suits.

Since there are plans to renovate or demolish Ed Smith Stadium after 2010, local residents are concerned about what toxins may be kicked up into the air during construction, as well as what pollutants exist, literally, in their backyards.

You would have to think that there are contingencies to clean up the site if need be. If not, do the Orioles balk and go elsewhere?

The full report has not been released to the public. I'm sure there is more to come.

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The "This Year in Baseball Awards" at MLB.com feature few Oriole nominees. In fact, they only feature two, both in the defense category. The first is Adam Jones who had a bit of a down year in center but did have 9 outfield assists in 118 games. OK.

The second was Melvin Mora. Melvin Mora! Mora?!?!?

There are 10 nominees from all of baseball. Anyone who watched the O's this season knows that Mora was struggling in the field this year and that he was not one of the top ten defenders in baseball. In terms of UZR, he ranked 11th among third basemen alone. I don't understand the selection at all.

In related news, Drew Silva at FanGraphs.com thinks Mora could be a nice utility player next season.

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This article on delmarvanow.com details the up and down career of current Phillie outfielder and former Oriole first round pick, Jayson Werth. I would say that former Oriole manager (and current Phillies third base coach) Sam Perlozzo took a cheap shot at the Orioles organization but he does qualify his remark:

"They saw him as a (career) backup," said Sam Perlozzo, an Orioles coach in those days and now the Phillies' third base coach. "To be fair, he wasn't the player he is now. He's gotten bigger, stronger."

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This was kind of a forgone conclusion but Spencer Fordin reports that the Orioles have decided that Koji Uehara will definitely be a reliever next season.

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On MLB.com, vote for The All-Time 9 for the Baltimore Orioles. Even though I consider myself something of a baseball historian, I do not like the inclusion of St. Louis Browns in the ballot. Down with Baby Doll Jacobsen and Moose Solters! And where's Rick Dempsey? Not even a mention?

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Speaking of Rick Dempsey, Rick will be playing live with the Deanna Bogart Band on Sunday, November 15th, 2009 at Serafino's in Ellicot City. I was not even aware that Rick was a musician.

I also did not know that Rick Dempsey has released a holiday CD called Home Run Holiday. I'm getting that. I'm not kidding.

AFL Update: 10/26

I told you that this was an interesting crop of AFL prospects for the Orioles...

Oriole Prospects

The future corner infielders for Baltimore continue to rake. 3B Josh Bell is posting a .464/.531/.786 slash line and 1B Brandon Snyder is sporting a line of .400/.436/.714. As we know, both corner infield positions in Baltimore are essentially vacant. These guys may force their way into Baltimore before the All-Star break.

CF Matt Angle continues to do what he has always done (get on base, steal bases) albeit in a more spectacular fashion. Angle has strung together 5 consecutive multi-hit games and has a line of .406/.486/.500 in AFL play. In 7 games, he has stolen 6 bases without being caught.

3B/DH Brandon Waring has only gotten 16 ABs but is hitting .250/.368/.563.

In a league that has been all about offense, the O's pitching prospects have held their own.

Ryohei Tanaka leads the team in innings pitched (with 8.1) and has struck out 8, walked 2 and posted a 3.24 ERA. Brandon Erbe (1.93 ERA), Josh Perrault (2.08 ERA) and Eddie Gamboa (3.86 ERA) have also pitched well in limited action.

Other Prospects

Stephen Strasburg got tagged in his last start against Peoria (and then Tanaka came in and shut the Javelinas down) and now has an ERA north of 10.00.

After a hot start, Adam Loewen is now hitting .179.

Book Review: Weaver on Strategy

Weaver on Strategy: The Classic Work on the Art of Managing a Baseball Team

by Earl Weaver with Terry Pluto

c. 1984 (revised 2002)

Former Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver was best know for losing his head on the field with the umpire. But what "Weaver on Strategy" reveals is that Weaver used his head far more than he lost it.

As you read Weaver's tome on baseball strategy, you begin to realize what amazing foresight he had on the direction the game was heading and simultaneously begin to shake your head that many managers (and organizations) still haven't picked up the hint 25 years after it was first published.

Earl has his opinions. Baltimore fans are probably well aware of them and they are best summed up by the phrase "Pitching, defense and the three-run homer". That's not just a catchy slogan; Weaver had very specific reasons for the methods he chose and lays out the arguments for his strategies in great detail and does so in very common sense terms.

It makes all the sense in the world. Yes, 27 outs are a team's most valuable offensive possession. Yes, the bunt makes little sense unless you're playing for one run. Yes, job security can be achieved with a .583 career winning percentage.

And I haven't seen on base percentage and walks discussed so often since I read Moneyball.

Weaver touches on every aspect of the game from spring training to the playoffs, from defense to hitting, from lineup formation to in-game strategy. You'd better enjoy "inside baseball" if you want to read this book but Weaver make even the more mundane parts of the game interesting with humor and anecdotes.

For example, spring training is boring. So how do you keep bored beat writers at bay? With Weaver's Cliches of Spring:

1. The hitters are ahead of the pitchers. You use this one after your staff get pounded for fourteen runs early in the spring. After all, maybe the hitters are ahead of the pitchers at this point? Who's to say which group develops faster?

2. The pitchers are ahead of the hitters. The opposite of number 1, so it should be used when you get shut out by three rookie pitchers nobody's ever heard of.

You can get the gist of Earl's philosophies just by reading the chapter and sub-section titles. "The Bunt: Rarely Worth the Trouble", "The Base on Balls or Why I Played Glenn Gulliver", "Clubhouse Meetings: A Real Waste of Time", "Winning and Losing Players: Baseball's Myth" and "The Offense: Praised Be the Three-Run Homer!"

Many of Earl's philosophies are considered standard practice today. Hit charts on opposing batters, pitching charts on opposing pitchers, hitting/pitching splits for Baltimore and opposing players, breaking in rookies in long relief, the eschewing of the steal and the hit and run (Earl didn't even have a hit and run sign and considered it the worst play in baseball) and valuing skills beyond batting average (OBP and slugging). Earl would have loved the integration of the computer and the internet in baseball!

One Weaver philosophy that has fallen by the wayside is the four man rotation. In this 2002 revision, Earl admits that a four man rotation would not work today. He believes it could if players were developed through a system that prepared them for that kind of workload but admits that you would have a hard time selling it to potential free agents who are more concerned about their health than their complete game total.

Other Earl philosophies:

Earl hated the intentional beanball and never called for one. He considered it dangerous and counter-productive. Throwing inside was fine but he didn't think there was ever an excuse to try to hurt somebody with a pitch. Weaver seemed to be way ahead of his time on this subject.

Earl believed that sign stealing was a part of the game but that it was overrated:

Say you find out a runner is stealing on a 2-2 pitch. The manager calls for a pitch-out and nabs him. Well, the guy in the other dugout isn't stupid. He'll see what happened and change his signs.

Earl said that you should never curse an umpire. That's right. Read that again. You should curse the call but not the umpire. OK, Earl.

And this was interesting...on cheating.

Every year there are whispers about certain players. The word is that a hitter who is suddenly having a good year is doing more than singing a good bat...

What is this? Steroids? HGH?

...he's swinging a loaded or corked bat.

Not nearly as sexy or shocking as steroids but it does raise a couple of interesting points.

First, if there were whispers about corked bats in the 60's-70's-80's, how can players look the public straight in the eye and claim nobody ever suspected anything during the steroids era? Of course, they can't.

Secondly, Weaver makes this statement:

I've managed pitchers who have used the spitter, and I've seen some corked bats lying around.

Since Earl came up managing in the Oriole organization, the odds are very good that Baltimore Oriole players were using the spitball and corked bats during their glory days. To put it more harshly, they were cheating!

Just something to keep in mind before getting all spun up about steroids.

And Earl admitted to using a corked bat in the minors. Not that it helped much.

In addition, Weaver goes into a detailed description of his scouting techniques including visuals of the index cards he kept on opposing players, hit charts, pitching charts and defensive charts. Chapter 11 is a detailed breakdown of the preparation for and the playing of the 1st game of the 1979 ALDS against the California Angels. There are charts showing all the managers fired during Weaver's tenure, various breakdowns on how many times he was ejected (and by umpire) and a epilogue from 2002 where Earl revisits Weaver's 10 Laws of baseball and finds that nearly all still apply.

This is an essential book for any Oriole fan and is also a must read for any baseball fan. It's a fascinating look inside the mind of one of the brilliant baseball minds of the modern era. It has to be in your baseball library.

AFL Update: 10/19/2009

Oriole Prospects

Most of the O's prospects now have a couple games under their belts. The highlights so far:

1B Brandon Snyder is posting a .385/.429/.615 line, picking up where he left off last fall but has just a lone extra base hit (home run).

3B Josh Bell has hit the tougher pitching well. Hitting .400/.536/.600 with a couple of doubles.

CF Matt Angle is hitless in 7 ABs but has drawn three walks and stolen two bases.

RP Josh Perrault has a 0.00 ERA over two games. RP Eddie Gamboa has a 3.86 ERA over two appearances.

Others of Note

Nationals SP Stephen Strasbourg pitched 3.1 scoreless innings in his AFL debut on Friday.

Blue Jays OF Adam Loewen is hitting .444/.538/.556 over three games.

The Desert Dogs are a juggernaut! They have won 4 straight and at 4-1 lead the AFL East by two games already.

MLB.tv will not be televising any of the AFL games, save for the All-Star game and the championship game. Bummer.

AFL Update: 10/14/2009

Oriole Prospects

SP Ryohei Tanaka started the game for the Desert Dogs and promptly surrendered a home run to center off the bat of Mesa leadoff hitter Rene Tosoni. However, he did not allow another run over the three innings he pitched. Final line: 3 IP, 3 hits, 4 Ks, 1 ER. Tanaka pitched well but Phoenix did not score until the 5th inning and he took the loss.

1B Brandon Snyder went 2-5 with a 2-run homer and finished with 2 RBI and a strikeout hitting third.

3B Josh Bell went 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout.


Others of Note:

Former Oriole Randor Bierd started for the Mesa Solar Soz and held the D.D.'s hitless over three innings.

Fellow desert Dog Adam Loewen played leftfield and went 0-1 with a strikeout but drew 3 walks and scored twice.

Mesa beat the Desert Dogs 10-6

The game wasn't televised on MLB.tv, nor was there a radio feed and, for this game, no PitchFx data. No word on if and when AFL games will be televised this year. Lousy...

Desert Dog Fever...Catch It!

I have always loved following the Oriole prospects in the Arizona Fall League. In past seasons, I have had to endure the watching Oriole "prospects" like Dustin Yount or Brandon Fahey. But this season, all of the Oriole prospects who have showed up to play in Phoenix are worthy of following. And their teammates on the Desert Dogs from other organizations bring some interesting storylines of their own. Here's the rundown with the Oriole prospects listed first:

3B Josh Bell - Bell came over from the Dodgers in the George Sherrill trade and gave the Orioles their best third base prospect since...I don't know, Leo Gomez? He is also the only player listed as a third baseman for the Desert Dogs so he should get plenty of at bats this fall.

RP Eddie Figueroa - The 2008 21st round pick has gone from the rookie leagues all the way to Bowie in under a season and a half of pro ball. Can he keep mowing them down and killing worms (or scorpions) in Arizona?

SP Brandon Erbe - Coming back from injury, Erbe showed signs of life in Bowie over 14 starts. This will be the toughest competition the 22-year-old Erbe has faced in his career...should be a good test.

RP Josh Perrault - The AFL'er most likely to break camp with Baltimore out of spring training. Perrault pitched 32 innings in Norfolk and struck out 33. A good showing in Arizona will go a long way toward getting him a long look in Sarasota this spring.

SP Ryohei Tanaka - The Orioles' forgotten Japanese import. Tanaka put together a nice season in Bowie as a swingman in '09 winning 4 games, saving 3 and posting a 3.00 ERA. Will his junk fool the rest of the AFL? I'm curious to see what kind of stuff he has. Tanaka makes the season opening start for Phoenix today versus Mesa at 2:35 EDT.

1B Brandon Snyder - Last fall, Snyder's good showing led to a white-hot run in Bowie and gained him a mid-season promotion to Norfolk. Will this fall help ignite similar success in AAA?

1B/3B Brandon Waring - The Carolina League MVP. He beat up on the pitchers in A-ball but can he mash against the top pitchers in the minors?

OF Matt Angle - Frederick centerfielder hasn't shown much at the plate except that he can a) get on base and b) steal a lot of bases. If he can do that in the AFL, those skills could play in Bowie and beyond.

OF Adam Loewen - Former Oriole top pitching prospect arrives as an outfielder for the Jays. Loewen hit pitifully in Dunedin so I'm surprised he's here at all. He will either affirm his status as a hitting prospect or get completely exposed.

RP Drew Storen - The top pick of the Nationals in 2009 and heir apparent to the closer job in 2010. Drew dominated minor league hitters in '09 and along with Stephen Strasburg will give Nats fans something to cheer for in 2010.

SP Stephen Strasburg - No player will be more closely scrutinized this fall than Strasburg. The pitcher described by his agent as a "once a generation" talent will have to prove it against the best hitters in the minors this fall. Nats fans will be watching with baited breath while sport writers across the country will be hoping he fails.

2B Jemile Weeks - Ricky Weeks' little brother raked in the high-A California league while stealing bases at will. The Athletics hope he continues that success against tougher competition since they haven't produced an impact position player from their farm system in years.

P Katayama/Mishimura/Yanuki - A trio of pitchers from the Nippon Professional Baseball league will be playing for the desert Dogs in 2009. This is the first time I have seen players unaffiliated with MLB play for teams in the AFL (I have seen them in the Hawaiian Leagues.) There are five total and three will play for Phoenix. They are:

P Hiroshi Katayama - Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

P Ken Mishimura - Hanshin Tigers

P Toshiyuki Yanuki - Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters

I always love to see the NPB players get a shot against North American competition especially since the Orioles seem to have turned their eye toward Japan when it comes to scouting. It's a good way to get a sense of how competitive those guys can be.

I don't know about you but I'm excited! I'll be a die-hard Desert Dog fan for the next two months.

The 2009 Season in Review

This last month has been a microcosm of the 2009 season. The team looked doomed to 100+ losses, showed some fight that gave you hope, lost 13 straight to send them right back to the depths of suckitude and then rally to sweep the Jays in the last series of the season. With Matt Albers getting the win in the final game! An odd season...

Record: 63-98 (Baltimore will pick third in the 2010 Draft.)


The Good


Brian Roberts clouts 56 doubles to set the team, franchise and switch-hitter record for doubles in a season. Add 16 homers and 30 stolen bases and you've got a heck of a year and the MVO award. And before we leave Roberts' remarkable season, one more record of mild interest. No one in the history of baseball has ever hit 55+ doubles and stolen 30 bases in a season until Brian Roberts in 2009. Nobody.

Cesar Izturis would have trouble hitting his way out of a wet paper bag but it's his glove we love. Izturis ranks 4th in baseball among shortstops in terms of UZR and even with the injuries has been a breath of fresh air over the motley crew that was trotted out in 2008. Baltimore fans know good defense at short when we see it and this year Izturis (with an assist from Robert Andino) provided it.

Matt Wieters. This next quote comes from a season wrap-up article for the Orioles on Baseball Prospectus:

Aubrey Huff, Melvin Mora, and Ty Wigginton were big disappointments, but none so much as the eagerly-awaited Wieters. The catcher produced some of the best minor league numbers in recent memory, including his first two months in Triple-A this year, but upon his big-league debut, he didn't show much in the way of big-league power.—Clay Davenport, Baseball Prospectus

Possibly the dumbest, most short-sighted comment I've read all year.

Wieters, in fits and starts, has shown steady improvement as the season has gone along, at the plate and behind it. He has a mere 380 plate appearances in the majors. It's just a tad early to call him disappointing isn't it? Chuck Norris-style joking aside?

Wieters posted a .346/.403/.505 line for September/October. That's a nice way to finish the season and gives him something to build upon for next year. But no one could have reasonably expected him to come to Baltimore and start immediately bludgeoning the AL East. But that time may be sooner than we think.

All the debuts were good, even if the results were not. Getting Brad Bergesen, Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz, even David Hernandez and Jason Berken up to the bigs for a taste of things (and giving management a chance to evaluate them) was a good thing for the future of this club.


The Bad


Melvin Mora was dreadful. Arguably the worst third baseman in the league (at the plate and in the field) and he got way too much playing time based on his tenure and not his actual skill. He will be remembered fondly but not for 2009.

Aubrey Huff peaked far too early to get any trade value for him. He was pretty bad himself and the thought of him returning to Baltimore in 2010 gives me the tremors.

Jeremy Guthrie righted the ship a bit in September/October but was pretty wretched throughout the 2009 season. Only the complete ineptitude of the rest of the rotation made him look palatable on the mound.

As the ball left Billy Butler's bat and struck Brad Bergesen sharply in the shin, I tried to guard myself against a creeping fatalism as he limped, hopped and ultimately tumbled down the dugout steps and collapsed in the tunnel. You hope he comes back the same pitcher and you wonder what might have been had he pitched the rest of the season.


The Disappointments


Nick Markakis posted a measly .801 OPS after nearly topping .900 last season. Markakis saw drops in power, OBP and average from 2007 and 2008 and now sits back at offensive levels that he had in his rookie season. That means he's merely decent and not great. Perhaps this year was a fluke, perhaps 2008 was the high water mark but Nick dashed my predictions for a breakout season in '09 and all the Enos Slaughter comps I've ever made.

I could probably throw the entire bullpen into my bag of disappointments but I'll personify them through Matt Albers. I think Albers has the talent to be a great reliever in the majors but while he show flashes from time to time, ultimately he fails and leaves you wondering why he can't throw strikes. This is the story with most of the remaining bullpen as we head into 2010. Nobody (save perhaps Mark Hendrickson) stepped up their performance in 2009.

I never got to see the lineup with four switch hitters before they traded Zaun to Tampa Bay.


The Surprises


Nolan Reimold was certainly a prospect before the season but I was quite surprised by how fast he made it to Baltimore this year and even more surprised how he found success from the jump. Even more surprising was the fact that he could post an OBP north of .350 for his rookie campaign. The power was never in doubt and, yes, he showed some plate control skill in the minors but some (including me) doubted if he could translate that skill to the majors and avoid becoming the second coming of Jay Gibbons. He proved me wrong.

Brad Bergesen's poise and effectiveness so early in his career. It's not easy for a finesse pitcher to live in the AL East, especially a rookie. But Brad did.

Michael Aubrey was acquired from the Cleveland Indians for the ubiquitous player-to-be-named-later and after Bad Aubrey was traded to the Tigers, Michael got a shot to play and has shown himself to be Good Aubrey indeed. Aubrey has posted a .289/.326/.500 line in 90 plate appearances and flashed a (dare I say it?) a Teixeira-like glove. He makes me feel like he's a good in-house stopgap at first base, a guy to give Brandon Snyder more time to come along in Norfolk next year. I've been beating the drum for guys like this to get a chance on this team and with a nice Spring Training, Aubrey may force management's hand.

Dave Trembley coming back? I wouldn't have guessed that two weeks ago. But I am happy he's back for one more year. He was given little to work with in '09 and did a decent job of putting the rookies in places to succeed, at least as much as could be expected.


The Failures


The Warehouse started the season with a rotation of Guthrie, Hendrickson, Adam Eaton, Alfredo Simon and Koji Uehara. Only Guthrie was left by season's end. Uehara had injuries, not really management's fault but the assembly of the rotation before the 2009 season was a monumental failure by Andy MacPhail and company.

Baltimore kind of had to take Ryan Freel to unload Ramon Hernandez to the Reds but he did nothing and whined about wanting to hurt the team more with more playing time. He was unloaded for Joey Gathright early in the season.

I still don't like the Oscar Salazar/Cla Meredith trade and, so far, the Trade Monitor bears that out.


The Successes


The George Sherrill trade netted a legitimate prospect at third (Josh Bell) and perhaps an under the radar starting pitching prospect (Steve Johnson) from the Dodgers. Great, great trade.

The Michael Aubrey pickup was another low risk move that has borne fruit early in the transaction.

Even with Felix Pie's growing pains, that trade has turned out very well for the Orioles. Pie was nearly a league average hitter before he injured his leg late in the year and was playing great defense in left and center. Mental lapses aside, he has shown value as at least a fourth outfielder for this team.


The Jekyll and Hyde Awards


Adam Jones before All-Star Break: .303/.357/.480
Adam Jones after All -Star Break: .222/.290/.405

Luke Scott before All-Star Break: .305/.384/.592
Luke Scott after All -Star Break: .208/.292/.375


Predictions


Some of my pre-season predictions:

So my first prediction is that Penn turns out to be way more useful to the Marlins than Robert Andino will be to Baltimore. - Actually, they turned out to be equally bad in terms of WAR but honestly, I was wrong about this one.

Alfredo Simon is out of the rotation by the end of May. He won't be with the big club by July. - Check

Matt Wieters is here in May. - Check.

Brad Bergeson is here in July. - He made it much earlier.

Brian Matusz is here is September. - As Andy MacPhail has admitted, he was rushed and got here in July.

The Orioles win 72 games. - Yeah, not exactly.

Lou Montanez won't OPS better than .750 at any level...unless he goes back to Bowie. - Except for a 10 game stint in Norfolk, correct.

Nick Markakis OPS's .900+ - Way, way off base.

Felix Pie gets better in the second half. - Admittedly, it would have been hard for him to get worse but after putting up .234/.299/.355 in the first half he came through with .290/.346/.497 in the second. More plate appearances in the second half too. Correct.

Adam Jones hits 20+ home runs. - In May, it looked like I had underestimated him. But he only reached 19 due to injury and slumps. Wrong.

Luke Scott and Ty Wigginton provide the best Oriole platoon since...well, in a very long time. - I forgot about that whole "Trembley doesn't do platoons"rule. Dead wrong but oh, what could have been.

And as Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues was happy to point out, I predicted an 81-81 record for his New York Yankees in a preseason chat. Yeah, the juggernaut that won 100+ games. What can I say? A lot of old guys had career years where I thought they would start to show their age.

But in that same chat, I was lambasted for stating that while I thought Evan Longoria was a fearsome hitter, I did not find B.J. Upton fearful at all. We'll call those chat predictions a wash.

So, that the season folks and I...am...outta here!

OK, not really. What's in store for the offseason at Dempsey's Army? Coverage of the AFL and the Hawaiian league as O's prospects take the field. Transaction coverage as usual. I think I'll be working on some interviews and honing my chops at that. Some non-Oriole baseball posts and at least a couple posts that are completely off-topic, just to keep the juices flowing. Oh, I'll probably finish the History of the Oriole Closer series and post some mini book reviews if they strike me.


OK, now time for a beer...


How about some "Downpressor Man" to finish the season off? I think so.

Joe Mauer is not Mr. Smooth

Not Orioles related but....greatest video ever!

Around the Oriole Blogosphere: Utter Collapse Edition

Before I start this edition of AtOB, I wanted to mention that Dempsey's Army has been nominated for a Mobbie for best Oriole blog at The Baltimore Sun. Please vote for us in the Oriole blog category if you feel so inclined.

But if you don't, please go vote for one of the other Oriole blogs I link to or that you may enjoy. It's a long suffering group and they all deserve some good recognition. Voting runs through October 9th. Vote early, vote often!

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Stacey at Camden Chat notes something about Brian Roberts' doubles explosion that I hadn't noticed:

Brian Roberts hit his 56th double of the year which is a record for most doubles by a switch hitter. Lance Berkman held the mark before him. It seems like a weird record to me.

In the midst of a 12 game losing streak and 100 losses looming, I'll take weird.

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Patrick Smith of Bugs and Cranks is ambivalent when it comes to Dave Trembley's future:

I’d love to write that I’d be outraged if they fired Trembley after presenting him with a stinkbomb of a team to manage. I really should be stumping for the guy and I’m not sure why I’m not. Numb, I guess, after 12 losing seasons.

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Dan at Camden Crazies examines Brian Matusz in the midst of a sweeping multi-post look back at the Orioles of 2009. He's a good man. And thorough.

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Matt Wieters Facts:

Matt Wieters Doesn't Take Pitches...He Shows Them Mercy.

Matt Wieters Forced Rick Astley To Give You Up, Let You Down, Run Around And Desert You.

Matt Beat Cancer..... Literally With His Bat. There Is No More Cancer.

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Orioles Card 'O' The Day highlights the birth of the Baltimore club and gives a tip of the cap to Bill Veeck.

On a side note, the other owners hated Veeck so much that when they heard he was trying to move the Browns to Milwaukee, they swiped the deal out from under him and allowed the Braves to move there instead in 1953. Baseball owners are and evolved breed, huh?

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Jay Trucker looks at the losing and the manager:

2 ½ years later, the team has played terrible fundamental baseball. The young guys have a chance to grow in 2010. Right now, it looks like the whole team is trudging to the end of the year. One way to start 2010 on a fresh page is to ax Dave Trembley. He hasn’t had a team with which to compete the last 2 ½ years, but he hasn’t taken the club a step forward by working with what he’s had during that time, either.

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It is a cruel mistress but at its root, baseball is still a beautiful game. Anthony at Oriole Post can still remind me of that as he always manages to catch some good action shots during the games at OPACY.

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Right Off Russell takes a look back at the 1989 "Why Not?" Orioles:

It was a year when everything broke right. Players had career years and late inning rallies were commonplace. The ‘89 O’s were a young bunch that scrapped and clawed for everything and almost pulled of an amazing worst to first turn around. And personally, it was truly magical. I had just jumped into sports fandom, sure I was aware of the Orioles, but 1988 was the first year I followed them with a passion. Nice timing, huh? Experiencing the ‘89 season only solidified the Orioles lifelong hold on me.

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If you don't like Roar from 34's Eutaw Street Chronicles, you hate America.

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100 losses? The Loss Column, ironically, says we shouldn't care.

In other words, these last five games of the season mean nothing. Whatever needs to be seen has been seen. Year three of the rebuilding process is already underway.

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The Wayward O is backing the manger. Here's Wayward O with more:

Wayward O is backing manager.

This losing streak (collapse) is because Baltimore is not real Baseball Team capable of playing full season.

It is not because Mr. Dave Trembley is bad manager.

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Weaver's Tantrum salutes the fine effort of Brian Roberts, even if it has been in vain. Regarding his doubles record for switch-hitters:

A lot of the guys on the single season doubles list are Hall of Famers. Brian is in good company. It seems unlikely that B-Rob can get to 60, tying Todd Helton's post-WWII record, but its not impossible. He can be forgiven for some selfish play at this point in the season. Forget about drawing walks or moving runners along, Brian. Go for the record!

Base Hits: The Long Road Home, Records Broken and Top Draft Picks Galore

I predicted that September would be ugly for the O's but after winning series' against the Yankees and the Rangers, you started to think that they would be competitive with the weaker part of their schedule. I was wrong the second time.

11 straight losses including sweeps at the hands of the Blue Jays and Indians have put 100 losses back on the table. It already has them in line for the 2nd overall pick in the 2010 draft.

               W    L    GB
Washington    53   103   --
Baltimore     60    96   7.0
Pittsburgh    59    96   7.5
Kansas City   64    93   10.5
 

Facing the Rays and the Blue Jays this final week, the Orioles are just about assured of getting the 3rd overall pick and have a great shot at the 2nd pick of the 2010 draft. My advice at this point: keep losing

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Also in this last week, Jeremy Guthrie has a chance to give up more home runs than anyone in Oriole history. He has given up 32, the record is 35. Unlikely, as Guthrie has pitched better in September but well withing reach.

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Speaking of records, it has been widely reported that Brian Roberts can reach 60 doubles this season. He has 55 with 6 games left so it is unlikely that he will reach 60. But 60 is kind of an arbitrary number. The real milestone is 58.

If Roberts hits three more doubles, he will have one of the top ten seasons for doubles since 1901. That's what I'll be looking for this last week.

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The Orioles and Sarasota have selected the firms that will renovate Ed Smith Stadium, the new Spring Training home for the team.

The plan is to "either tear down or renovate" the stadium after Spring Training 2010.

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Will Dave Trembley return in 2010? It's not looking good.

(Oriole GM Andy) MacPhail has said for months that the club won't make a decision on Trembley's option for 2010 until either the last weekend of the season or a couple of days after it ends...

MacPhail met with Orioles owner Peter Angelos last week to discuss Trembley's status, but he continues to say little about the situation...

MacPhail has talked repeatedly about the importance of avoiding a late-season swoon, which has became an annual rite for the Orioles. He made it clear Sunday that he isn't pleased with the way the club has played on its current 10-game road trip...

Macphail has also said that while the record counts, the management will have to examine underlying factors as well. Yes, they do.

But it's going to be hard to not fire Trembley at this point. That's not where Dave wants to be.

The Silver Lining Team: The Best of a Dark Decade

Over the past 12 years, we O's fans have been subjected to the worst stretch of seasons in the team's history (at least since they came to Baltimore). Yes, even worse than the 50's and early 60's.

To that end, here's a team made up of the best Oriole players of the 00's. Some of this list is a bit depressing but this is just to remind us all of the bright spots before we mercifully close the door on this miserable decade (and more).


Catcher - Javy Lopez (2004-2006)

             AVG   OBP    SLG    OPS   2B    HR    SB
Lopez       .293  .343   .468   .811   72    46     0

Lopez was not a great defensive catcher but actually hit pretty well for two of the three seasons he was an Oriole. In the great wasteland of Oriole catchers during the aughts, Lopez stands alone.


1B - David Segui (2001-2004)

             AVG   OBP    SLG    OPS   2B    HR    SB
Segui       .287  .375   .425   .800   35    18     2

Another guy who looks great compared to the other guys at his position is Segui. Over portions of 3 seasons, Segui was a steady performer at the plate and flashed a pretty slick glove. He also reportedly showed some young guys the ropes in regards to chemically enhancing your play...but I'm leaving him in.


2B - Brian Roberts (2001-2009)

             AVG   OBP    SLG    OPS   2B    HR    SB
Roberts     .284  .355   .421   .776  316    76   255

Through all the ups and downs that Baltimore has had this decade, there has been one guy who fans could look to for excellence in every facet of the game. Roberts led all Orioles in doubles during the 00's, is in the top 5 for the entire American League and only second to Jeff Kent among all major league second basemen. Of course, he also led all Orioles in stolen bases with 255.

In addition to this, he has been a the face of the Orioles in the community and a fan favorite for a team that has been pretty horrendous.


3B - Melvin Mora (2000-2009)

             AVG   OBP    SLG    OPS   2B    HR    SB
Mora        .280  .355   .439   .794  250   158    82

As much as I have slagged Mora for his play in 2009, he has had a very nice career for Baltimore and will always be remembered as one of the great Oriole third baseman. Ok, maybe that's because after Brooks Robinson the pickings have been slim at the hot corner. But as a whole, Mora turned himself into a pretty decent fielder, had some monster seasons at the plate and was a steady presence for almost 10 seasons.

He leads all Orioles in hits and home runs for the decade.


SS - Miguel Tejada (2004-2007)

             AVG   OBP    SLG    OPS   2B    HR    SB
Tejada      .311  .362   .501   .863  146   102    17

It was easy to pick apart Tejada's game. He tended to lose power over the course of his stay, his baserunning mistakes were maddening and his fielding was not always great. But as a total package, Tejada was arguably the best player to don the black and orange this decade. He played a premium defensive position and he hit .300 and knocked in 20 homers his first three seasons (and just missed both marks in his 4th).

It's tough to replace that kind of production at shortstop as we have seen.


LF - Luke Scott (2008-2009)

             AVG   OBP    SLG    OPS   2B    HR    SB
Scott       .257  .339   .482   .821   52    47     2

Left field was an offensive black hole as B.J. Surhoff aged and then retired. But finally, Scott came over from Houston as one of the many spare parts in the Miguel Tejada trade and provided more than adequate offense from left in 2008 and 2009 (although he's been mostly a DH in '09).

He's a flawed hitter (can't hit lefties, streaky) but he's a lot of fun to watch and supplies a ton of raw power to the lineup.


CF - Adam Jones (2008-2009)

             AVG   OBP    SLG    OPS   2B    HR    SB
Jones       .274  .323   .428   .751   43    28    20

The jewel of the Erik Bedard trade has become the best Oriole center fielder of the decade after only parts of two seasons.


RF - Nick Markakis (2006-2009)

             AVG   OBP    SLG    OPS   2B    HR    SB
Markakis    .298  .367   .470   .837  158    75    35

Markakis was rushed from AA and struggled mightily during his first 2 months in the big leagues. Since then, he's been a .300 hitter with Gold Glove caliber defense in right. He leads all Orioles in OPB for the decade and was only second in OPS to Miguel Tejada.


DH - Aubrey Huff (2007-2009)

             AVG   OBP    SLG    OPS   2B    HR    SB
Huff        .282  .341   .473   .814  106    60     5

A mediocre hitter who had one monster season in 2008. Another failing of The Warehouse is that Huff is the best DH Baltimore had.


Bench - Ramon Hernandez (2006-2008)

             AVG   OBP    SLG    OPS   2B    HR    SB
Hernandez   .264  .328   .427   .755   69    60     5

Hernandez's value came mainly in 2006 and he dropped off precipitously after that. Rough decade for catchers. Thank God for Matt Wieters.


Bench - Jeff Conine (2000-2006)

             AVG   OBP    SLG    OPS   2B    HR    SB
Conine      .286  .342   .440   .782  122    66    32

Conine's flexibility in the field and decent bat made him a valuable role player early in the decade and would make him an excellent bench player for this team.


Bench - Mike Bordick (2000-2002)

             AVG   OBP    SLG    OPS   2B    HR    SB
Bordick     .261  .324   .418   .742   54    31    22

Bordick had a slick glove and managed to swing a pretty good bat for a "good glove, no hit" player. And we traded him to the Mets for Melvin Mora. Good value.


Bench - Tony Batista (2001-2003)

             AVG   OBP    SLG    OPS   2B    HR    SB
Batista     .245  .293   .433   .726   72    69    14

Batista manned third for three seasons and, while not good, was better than he seemed at the time. Lots of raw power, not much discipline.


SP - Erik Bedard (2002-2007)

             G    CG   SHO   W   L    K    BB    HR    ERA
Bedard     114     1    1   40  34   639  254    58   3.83

By far, the best Oriole pitcher of the group and the best Oriole pitcher since Mike Mussina. In between stints to the DL, Bedard was dominating. While he was here, Beadard set the Oriole record for strikeouts in a season


SP - Jeremy Guthrie (2007-2009)

             G    CG   SHO   W   L    K    BB    HR    ERA
Guthrie     92     2    0   27  32   343  160    78   4.12

Guthrie was a 1st round bust for Cleveland when Baltimore picked him up off of waivers before the 2007 season. He had surpassed all expectations to become the steadiest Oriole starter since he arrived (even including his sub-par 2009).


SP - Sidney Ponson (2000-2005)

             G    CG   SHO   W   L    K    BB    HR    ERA
Ponson     160    22    4   53  64   639  343   126   4.84

I guess the thing ot point out about Ponson is that he had 22 complete games as an Oriole and is only behind Mike Mussina among Orioles who played after 1990.


SP - Daniel Cabrera (2004-2008)

             G    CG   SHO   W   L    K    BB    HR    ERA
Cabrera    147     6    2   48  59   651  478    88   5.05

I cannot revisit D-Cab's Oriole career. I just can't. Oriole leader in strikeouts during the 00's.


SP - Rodrigo Lopez (2002-2006)

             G    CG   SHO   W   L    K    BB    HR    ERA
Lopez      167     5    2   60  58   614  281   128   4.72

Lopz makes the list. Winningest Oriole pitcher of the decade.


RP - Buddy Groom (2000-2004)

             G    SV   W   L    K    BB    HR    ERA
Groom      330    18  15  13   212   72    26   3.91

Groom was pretty good. The lefty pitched 285 innings over the 5 seasons with the Orioles and served as a workhorse when the O's needed him most.


RP - Jim Johnson (2006-2009)

             G    SV   W   L    K    BB    HR    ERA
Johnson    116     9   6  10   88    54     9   3.66

Converted starter who dominated in a setup role. (A role he may soon be returning to.) Teamed up with George Sherrill to form a nice 1-2 punch at eh end of games.


RP - George Sherrill (2008-2009)

             G    SV   W   L    K    BB    HR    ERA
Sherrill    99    51   3   6   97    46     9   3.71

When I start to worry about who will close for the O's in 2010, I remember that Sherrill arrived with no closing experience whatsoever. He was servicable in that role and made the All-Star team in '08.


RP - BJ Ryan (2000-2005)

             G    SV   W   L    K    BB    HR    ERA
Ryan       391    42  15  19   436  182    29   3.57

Feels like Ryan should have more saves here. But Ryan was very good for 5 full seasons, striking out opposing batters at unbelieveable rates.


RP - Chris Ray (2005-2009)

             G    SV   W   L    K    BB    HR    ERA
Ray        188    49  10  16   176   82    27   3.91

After Ryan split for Toronto, Ray stepped in and was every bit as good as the Oriole closer. An injury has derailed him a bit but there's hope he can return to form.


RP - Chad Bradford (2007-2008)

             G    SV   W   L    K    BB    HR    ERA
Bradford   125     2   7  10   42    23     3   3.00

Of all the free agent relievers the Orioles signed this decade, Bradford was the only one to earn his money. He kept the ball in the park and was a nice matchup guy for righties.


RP - Jorge Julio (2001-2005)

             G    SV   W   L    K    BB    HR    ERA
Julio      281    83  11  24   257  133    42   4.20

Yeah, he makes the list. I think I have enough distance on Julio now to mention that he was really awesome in 2002. That's about all I have.

Base Hits: Trembley on Umpire Bias, Reimold for ROY and A Good Baseball Match

Friday morning on Sirius XM MLB Home Plate, Dave Trembley appeared on Power Alley with hosts Seth Everett and Bill Ripken. Regarding Trembley's meltdown with home plate umpire Ron Kulpa, Seth asked if he thought umpires had a bias for or against certain teams when calling balls and strikes.

Everett: Do you sense, and you don't have to name names, but do you sense that there is some semblance of a bias amongst umpires and that sometimes umpires are favoring one team to another?

Trembley: (laughing) Hey listen, I don't have enough money in my checking account...if I answered that question truthfully, I could never pay 'cause Mr. Watson would get me severely. But what I would say and what I would say very clearly is that the strike zone is different from umpire to umpire and sometimes from game to game. It's not consistent...I just don't understand that....I've always said that the toughest three outs to get in Yankee Stadium are the six you gotta get in the bottom of the 9th. It seems like the strike zone in some places is a little bit different.

He drives me nuts when he bats Cesar Izturis second but how can you not like the guy...

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Via the DC Sports Bog by Dan Steinberg, the Orioles are mounting a Rookie of the Year campaign for Nolan Reimold by sending members of the BBWAA some arguments in Reimold's favor. Here's two that Dan posted:

It's nice that the Orioles are doing this because, quite frankly, Reimold probably just isn't on the average writer's radar.

Now, he's not catching Gordon Beckham for the rookie leader in RBI as the Orioles state may happen but of rookie position players (Beckham, Reimold and Elvis Andrus), he's the best hitter. Pitchers like Rick Porcello and Andrew Bailey are going to cloud the mix as well but Reimold is certainly a worthy candidate.

(edit: So much for this campaign; Reimold is done for the season.

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Oriole-Induced Grimace of the Week:

Carl Crawford is pleading to the heavens but The Holiness he seeks to implore is not skyward but behind home plate. And he just gunned you down. Twice. You're out, Carl.

By the way, was Hancock at this game?

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From an article at Guardian.co.uk about the food served at various sporting events in England and America:



In the United States, where baseball has traditionally been associated with soggy hot dogs and watery beer, an interesting trend began a few years ago when the Baltimore Orioles began selling regional cuisine like pit beef platters and Maryland crab cake sandwiches on match days.



Can't wait to go down to OPACY for a good baseball match! Match day. That's classic.



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On a random note, I was at a poker game on Saturday at the house of the son-in-law of the man who played catcher for the 1979 Pirates. (I believe he was the backup catcher, a guy named Steve Nicosia)

Anyway, besides being on the team that upset the Orioles in the World Series, Steve had an enormous collection of bats that this guy had on display in his basement. Luis Tiant, Willie Stargell, Pete Rose, Manny Sanguillen, Bill Madlock...about 45 bats that Nicosia had collected during his playing career.

Not much to elaborate on but it was pretty cool.

Base Hits: Talking (Speaking) Baseball

With all the Derek Jeter record-breaking hoopla, you may have missed the fact that Ichiro broke Willie Keeler's 108 year old record for consecutive 200 hit seasons when he made 2009 his ninth.

But the press generally doesn't mention the team Keeler's played for and when they do, like Yahoo! Sports' David Brown, they only get it half right.

With another 200 in the hit bank, Ichiro surpasses a Hall of Famer who has one of the more famous nicknames in baseball history, "Wee" Willie Keeler, who did it from 1894-1901 for the Brooklyn Dodgers franchise.

That's only half true. In fact, it's only 3/8 true because Keeler only spent three of those eight seasons with Brooklyn. He spent the first five seasons of the streak (and his career) with the old National League Baltimore Orioles.

Just giving credit where credit is due.

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Speaking of records broken, a guy named Jeter moved to 53rd on the all-time hit list and this got a lot of attention. OK, he's now the Yankee hit king. But as you can see in this report I created at BaseballReference.com, Jeter is also the all-time Yankee leader in outs.

Where was ESPN as he approached that hallowed milestone?

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Speaking of the Yankees, the O's take the weekend series! This bodes well for Baltimore avoiding 100 losses. The toughest part of the September/October schedule is over. The rest of the season leaves only three games against the Red Sox. The rest of the schedule is Rays, Jays and Indians. The Indians stink. The Jays are not good. The Rays have turned back into a pumpkin and have lost 11 straight.

The O's went 4-6 against the toughest part of their schedule. It still won't all be pretty but I feel a lot better about it than I did a week or two ago.

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Speaking of the weekend series, Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman got the wins over the Yanks. The last two rookie pitchers to defeat the Yankees in New York in the same series? Bob Milacki and Dave Johnson on August 26th and 27th, 1989. Why not, indeed.

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Speaking of rookie pitchers, the Orioles are leaning towards shutting Brian Matusz down for the season and are expected to make a decision today. Caution is probably the best prescription for this team.

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Speaking of Brian Matusz, he was ranked #4 on Baseball America's year end Prospect Hot Sheet. Matusz impressed at all levels in 2009.